


Homecoming

by maerLoka



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: I love him, M/M, Marauders, also Sirius is the embodiment of disaster gay, and feelings, i wrote this as a form of therapy, just fluff, they deserve to be reunited and live happily together, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2020-07-19 05:55:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19969120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maerLoka/pseuds/maerLoka
Summary: I just have a lot of thoughts, and a lot of feelings, about post Prisoner of Azkaban Sirius, and how he reconnected with Remus, and I needed to get this out of my head after re-reading The Goblet of Fire. Really just wolfstar fluff all the way.





	1. Chapter 1

It was already dark, and a cold rain was falling steadily, creating large puddles of gray water in the narrow blind alley where Remus Lupin apparated at around 8pm this evening. He had just come back from a long, tedious day of work at Flourish and Blotts’ bookshop, where he was employed since he had left his position as Defense against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts at the end of term. He had been working there for four months already, and he found that after the start of the new school year, when all the students were done buying their spellbooks and off to school, the shop was significantly less crowded and busy.

But Remus never complained about his situation, though. Of course, if you asked him, selling books wasn’t nearly as gratifying as teaching, but he liked the atmosphere of the shop. He liked being surrounded by hundreds of volumes, and he liked the quietness of the place, contrasting with the agitation of Diagon Alley. As a matter of fact, he was glad he could even get a job at all, considering that it was extremely hard for a werewolf to be hired when everyone in the wizarding community was aware of your “furry little problem.” To be completely honest, he had been in a certain state of despair when the _Daily Prophet_ had revealed his condition to the public, a few months ago. Not that he hadn’t been expecting it, but the fact that people were still prepared to allow him to work for them had come as a true relief. Still, it had been a long day, quite lonely, and it was freezing because of the constant rain. Remus held his newspaper above his head to protect himself from the cold drops, and started to climb the iron steps that led to his apartment, when he heard something moving behind him.

He turned so suddenly that he almost slipped on the wet steps, but he caught himself up and stood, staring at the darkness in front of him, listening. There were a few meters between him and the brick wall closing the alley, where some trash cans were packed. A broken street light above them failed to light up the space where he thought the noise had come from.

“Hello?” he called hesitantly. “Anyone here?”

Nothing moved. He wondered if he should draw out his wand, but for a couple minutes everything was still and silent, except for the rain. Remus shrugged and turned back to climb the remaining stairs. He was almost at his door when, this time, something definitely moved in the dark between the trash cans.

“Who’s there?” Remus asked, drawing out his wand at last.

No answer came, but slowly, very slowly, a shadow seemed to emerge from the darkness. Remus got down a few steps, very slowly too, his wand pointing at the invisible threat. His heart was pounding in his ears, but the hand gripping his wand was quite steady.

“Show yourself! Now!” he said in a clear voice.

The shadow moved closer. Remus couldn’t quite distinguish was it was, but it seemed too small to be a man. Unless he was moving on all fours… Then it emerged in the dim evening light. A huge, shaggy black dog was standing in front of him, wet and shivering. The dog stopped and let out a faint cry, looking up at Remus.

Remus lowered his wand slowly and got down the last steps. He stopped in front of the dog, staring at it with an open mouth.

“ _Sirius?_ ”

The dog let out another cry, louder, and started to shiver uncontrollably. It looked at Remus with pleading eyes, then at the door up the iron steps, and back at Remus. Remus glanced around him quickly, put his wand back in his raincoat and mumbled “Come here.”

He climbed the steps again, with the dog on his heels, fumbled in his coat for the keys and opened the door. The dog entered first, and he followed and closed the door hurriedly behind them.

Remus turned on the light, tossed his wet newspaper on the kitchen table and took off his scarf and coat. Then he looked expectantly at the dog.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in a low voice.

The dog looked around as if to make sure that this was a safe place, then it turned back to Remus, and transformed into a pale, gaunt man with filthy long black hair. The man scratched his arm nervously, looking anxious.

“Hello Remus” he said in a hoarse voice. “It’s been a while.”

Remus let out a long sigh but didn’t answer. He rubbed his face with one hand, as if this was some kind of bad dream and he was going to wake up, open his eyes and see that none of this was real. But the man standing in front of him was very real, and he was still there when he opened his eyes.

“What are you doing here?” he asked again.

“Er, it’s a long story” Sirius answered. “Listen, I’ll explain everything, but can I stay here for the night?”

There was a pause that felt very long. Sirius stood there, breathing fast and still trembling, while Remus stared at him with an expression that he couldn’t quite decipher.

“Yes” Remus said finally. “Yes, of course you can stay.”

Something that looked like a smile flickered across Sirius’ face.

“Thanks” he said in the same hoarse voice.

Remus crossed his arms on his chest and leaned on the door behind him.

“Now tell me why you’re here. What happened?”

Sirius seemed to hesitate, but he saw that he didn’t really have a choice.

“It’s Harry” he said in a low voice. “Strange things happened, I think he’s in danger.”

Remus’ eyes widened, he took a few steps towards Sirius.

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“Well, I guess you’ve heard about the Triwizard Tournament taking place at Hogwarts this year, right?”

Remus frowned. “Yes, I’ve heard. But what’s that to do with Harry?”

Sirius looked at him, puzzled. “He’s been selected as one of the champions, Remus. Didn’t you read about that in the _Prophet_?”

“No” Remus answered sharply. “I don’t read the _Prophet_ anymore. But this can’t be true...”

“It is. He wrote me as soon as it happened, and I came back as fast as I could. That’s why I’m here.”

Remus shook his head and started pacing the room.

“But Harry can’t compete in the Tournament, he’s only fourteen! Dumbledore can’t let him… How did this happen?”

“I don’t know” Sirius said impatiently. “But Dumbledore has no choice, Harry has no choice. The Ministry representatives say the champions are bound by a magical contract. The question is: who put his name in the Goblet of Fire, and why? And whoever it was, we need to find them.”

Remus stopped pacing the room at once, and sat on a chair at the kitchen table, his face in his hands. He remained silent for a while, thinking.

“This is not good, Sirius. Not good at all. Do you reckon it has something to do with the events at the Quidditch World Cup? The Dark Mark?” he raised his tired, circled eyes at Sirius.

“Well, it can’t be a coincidence, can it?” Sirius answered. “I don’t know what that means yet, but you’re right: it’s not good. I need to get close to Hogwarts, keep in touch in case anything wrong happens.”

Remus raised his eyebrows at him. “And how do you intend to do that?”

“I wrote to Dumbledore. He suggested a place where I could stay near Hogsmeade. There’s a cave in the mountain, the place is deserted.”

“A cave?” Remus said in disbelief.

Sirius smiled, a strange smile that did not reach his eyes.

“Ah, Remus, you and I both know how hard it is for outcasts and fugitives. We know all about the dark caves and the abandoned houses and the lonely forests where no soul ever wanders, don’t we?”

Remus looked at Sirius in silence, and it seemed that he was only seeing him for the first time. He rubbed his chin with one hand, staring at Sirius’ dark, wet hair, his ragged and dirty clothes, his pale gray eyes. He didn’t look much different than when he had seen him in the Shrieking Shack a few months ago, but this wasn’t Sirius as he remembered him. He was thin, too thin, all of his bones were visible under the pale skin. And his eyes, more than anything, were different. They were the same gray eyes, but they were veiled, something that he couldn’t really determine was gone.

“You’re freezing” he said suddenly, getting up.

“I’m fine, don’t worry” Sirius answered, but Remus was on his feet and stood staring at him.

“You look like hell” he added matter of factly.

This time Sirius actually smiled. “Nice to see you too, Moony!”

For a moment they remained silent, watching each other. It seemed to Sirius that time had stopped, and everything around them was blurred, every noise seemed so distant. He could only see Remus’ eyes observing him, amber eyes sinking deep into him, his thin, scarred face, and his mouth. He almost jumped when Remus broke the silence:

“Come, I’ll show you around.”

Sirius followed him through the living room, Remus showed him a door on the left that led to the only bedroom in the small apartment, then he opened the door on the right and stepped into the bathroom. He took a few towels out of a cupboard and handed them to Sirius.

“I’ll find you some clean clothes” he said. “There’s not a lot of room, but I have a bathtub!” He gestured awkwardly at the said bathtub.

“It’s great, thank you” Sirius said softly.

Remus stayed at the bathroom door while Sirius took off his dirty shirt, watching his long black hair fall on his shoulders. He stared at the variety of small tattoos on his back and arms; there were antlers on his neck, the phases of the moon all the way down his spine, some runes and symbols, a dog paw somewhere on the left arm. He observed his collarbones, and saw that he really was very thin.

“Remus? Are you alright?” Sirius was looking at him in the mirror, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

Remus cleared his throat awkwardly. “Er, yes, sorry. I’ll… I’ll find you some clothes. Take your time” he added, finally leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Sirius couldn’t help but smile at his reflection in the mirror. He felt relieved. He was going to sleep in a real house. He was safe. He was with Remus. For the first time in thirteen years, he felt that he was home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, originally this was supposed to be a one-shot, but then I got carried away...  
> It's extremely cheesy, they have a lot of feelings(me too) and I'm not even sorry.

Sirius sank into the bathtub with delight, feeling the hot water envelop his body. His tense muscles relaxed, his head fell back and he closed his eyes. He breathed in deeply, his nostrils filled with the scent of the bubble bath and the cinnamon candle that was burning on the windowsill. He tried to remember the last time he actually took a bath, with bubbles and everything, but that was really far… He’d almost forgotten how good it felt to be so warm and peaceful. He looked at his hands and cracked his knuckles. His whole body ached from the miles he had to run in Padfoot's skin, creeping under the stars in the night. It felt a bit odd to inhabit his own body again, he thought as he stretched his skinny legs under the water. He breathed in again and sank underneath the surface, eyes closed, his long hair floating all around. It was so quiet down there, he found it very pleasing. It seemed to him that all sounds were muffled, even those of the bad thoughts in his head. Finally some peace. If only it could last longer... He remained underwater for about thirty seconds, enjoying the silence that was only punctuated by his own steady heartbeat. Then he went back to the surface, breathed out and shook his head. His hair fell in heavy dark curls over his shoulders and he started to detangle it, which wasn’t an easy thing to do.

In the meantime, Remus was in the kitchen preparing cheesy toasts with eggs and bacon while listening to the radio and distractedly humming a Billy Joel tune. He was also trying really hard not to think about the naked man in his bathroom, which he found quite difficult.

*

“This is ridiculous” Remus declared, “why wouldn’t you sleep in the bedroom? You’re my guest!”

“Remus my dear, I appreciate your offer, but are you aware that I’ve been sleeping on the ground for years, literally?” Sirius replied.

They had enjoyed a nice dinner and were now sitting in the living room with their cups of tea, but they had been arguing for quite a long time because Sirius refused to sleep in the only bedroom and to “evict” Remus.

“Honestly, Padfoot will be perfectly happy with your carpet, you don’t have to sleep on the couch” he added, pointing at the said carpet at his feet.

Remus, exasperated, raised a threatening finger at him.

“Sirius Black, I will _not_ have you sleep as a dog on my carpet! Who do you take me for? You will have my bedroom and you will stop complaining and arguing and that’s it. Period.”

A pause. Sirius was actually impressed with his friend’s tenacity, but he should have expected it. The man was stubborn, he had always been. Yet for once Sirius wasn't arguing for the sake of arguing and annoying him. He really didn't want to be an inconvenience, and he would've actually slept well on the carpet. But visibly it was pointless to fight with Remus Lupin, he was going to need to negotiate. And what a great negotiator he was.

“Alright” Sirius grinned, “but if you want me in your bed so bad, you could at least sleep with me.”

Remus almost choked on his tea.

“What?” he asked.

Silence. Remus stared at him.

“Er… Sleep with me? Maybe? If you want to...” Sirius mumbled. Instantly, his cheeks became very pink and he felt very foolish. A great negotiator indeed.

Another silence. Remus looked at him with a very confused expression. He seemed to be processing what he had just heard, looking for the correct answer. Sirius was feeling more and more nervous with every silent second, wishing he hadn't said that. Then, Remus sighed and a soft smile spread across his face. He started to laugh.

“Merlin, why does it feel like we’re sixteen again?”

Sirius relaxed and smiled too. He shrugged.

“I don’t know, it makes me feel pretty silly to be here with you and to be asking you this. Honestly, I don't think I was nearly as anxious as I am now when I asked you on a first proper date."

Remus chuckled at the recollection. It was such a long time ago it almost felt like another lifetime.

"But you’re right; we’re not sixteen anymore” Sirius continued. He took a deep breath. “Moony, would you sleep with me tonight? Please?” he asked.

Remus considered him for a few moments. There was a lot going on in his head right now and he didn’t know how to react. This whole evening had been completely unexpected, and he was still trying to handle the fact that his fugitive best friend/ex-lover had reappeared out of the blue to seek shelter in his small apartment. A part of him had been worried about Sirius since he had to flee Hogwarts a few months ago, the same part that had been missing him silently every day for twelve years, and still missed him. But on the other hand he had tried really hard to move on with his life since Sirius was arrested, and the recent events had brutally taken him back to a painful period of his youth that he thought was behind him.

And there was this man sitting in front of him, who had been taken away from him for so long, and who was back, it seemed, as if nothing had changed. This man, Sirius, his haunting gray eyes, his animal grace, ridiculously handsome, whom he had loved dearly with every fiber of his being, and still probably did…

“OK” he said finally. “Fair enough.”

Sirius breathed out. “Damn, for a moment I thought you were going to kick me out.”

Remus laughed. “Don’t be stupid. Come on, let’s go to bed then. You must be tired.”

He stood and reached out for Sirius’ hand. Sirius took it and followed him out of the living room.

They walked hand in hand without a word, Remus smiled at him and Sirius felt dizzy. They entered the small bedroom and Remus switched on the lamp on his bedside table. Then he snapped his fingers and an enchanted radio station started to sing softly, perched on a bookshelf.

_I've seen that road before_  
_It always leads me here_  
_Lead me to your door_

Remus let go of Sirius' hand and he crossed the room to shut the blinds. Sirius watched him attentively, his heart was pounding in his ears, he stood there waiting for he didn't know what exactly. Remus slowly turned back to him.

"Close the door" he said.

Sirius moved as if he wasn't really conscious of what he was doing, as if his body was automatically responding while his mind was far away. He closed the door and saw Remus walk back to him. They stood facing each other, Sirius didn't dare move. He looked into Remus' eyes and he did feel like he was sixteen again, when he first held his hand.

_Many times I've been alone_  
_And many times I've cried_  
_Anyway you'll never know_  
_The many ways I've tried_

Remus bent his head so that their foreheads touched, and he ran a hand through Sirius' hair.

"I've missed you" he breathed.

"I've missed you too."

_Don't keep me waiting here_  
_Lead me to your door_

And they kissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sirius: sleep with me  
> Remus: what?  
> Sirius: what?
> 
> anyway don't mind me, leave kudos, have a nice day


End file.
